Endocrine Abstracts

The enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) is expressed by gut epithelial cells. DPP-IV cleaves X-proline dipeptides from the N-terminus of polypeptide hormones including GLP-1, GIP and PYY. DPP-IV causes a deactivation of the incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP, whereas conversely, by converting PYY1–36 to PYY3–36 it allows specific activation of the Y2 receptors in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus leading to hypophagia. Infused PYY3–36 has been ...

Introduction: Obesity results in an imbalance of systemic adipokines as well as pro and anti-inflammatory biomarkers. The attenuation of anti-inflammatory proteins, including Annexin A1 (AnxA1) in human obesity, may be a contributing factor to the chronic inflammatory phenotype which results. However, increased AnxA1 mRNA and protein levels in mature adipocytes suggest an additional role for AnxA1 in adipose tissue biology.Ai...

Introduction: Obesity results in an imbalance of systemic adipokines as well as pro and anti-inflammatory biomarkers. The attenuation of anti-inflammatory proteins, including Annexin A1 (AnxA1) in human obesity, may be a contributing factor to the chronic inflammatory phenotype which results. However, increased AnxA1 mRNA and protein levels in mature adipocytes suggest an additional role for AnxA1 in adipose tissue biology.Ai...

Introduction: In vitro skeletal muscle cell models are vitally important for investigating the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle in metabolic and endocrine diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Culture media for skeletal muscle cells can often contain glucose concentrations (GC) five times higher than what’s considered normal in fasting human plasma, thus is not representative of the in vivo environment. Hyperglycaemia in culture media may...

Introduction: Adipose tissue oxygen consumption and blood flow are altered in obesity inducing local tissue hypoxia. Hypoxia affects several biological functions including adipogenesis, inflammation, insulin resistance and metabolism affecting the overall degree of adiposity. The expression of Annexin A1 (ANXA1); an anti-inflammatory protein, increases in the adipose tissue in response to obesity and further increases in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of old obese individuals...

Introduction: Lipodystrophy is a rare medical condition with a varied etiology that is characterised by a complete or partial loss of adipose tissue, which can be generalised, partial or localised. Patients have altered secretion of adipokines, such as, Leptin and Adiponectin. Ectopic lipid accumulation is common and leads to metabolic complications associated with insulin resistance (IR) such as, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertriglyceridemia. Levels of circulating inflammat...

According to the World Health Organisation iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of under-nutrition worldwide. Historically, the causes of iron deficiency were related principally to nutritional deficiencies and this remains a significant factor in many parts of the developing world. However, obesity is also a known cause of iron deficiency and is increasingly correlated with altered iron status and iron deficiency in affected individuals. As the obesity epidemic spreads ...

We previously showed acute hypoxic conditions result in atrophy of myotubes in vitro. Chronic hypoxic exposure in vivo induces muscular atrophy in healthy mountaineering individuals and patients with COPD. Myotubes in vitro increase myostatin expression in response to hypoxic exposure. Further, hypoxic COPD patients show cachexia and increased serum myostatin expression. However, in vivo results are cofounded by disease factors in COPD patie...

Several hormones, including cortisol, have a circadian rhythm in plasma and saliva. Salivary cortisol is now extensively used for screening and following patients with various conditions where the regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenal axis is abnormal, for example in major depression where salivary cortisol levels show a disruption or loss of the circadian rhythm.Annexin 1 is a glucocorticoid-induced protein, which is responsible for mediating...

Several hormones, including cortisol, have a circadian rhythm in plasma and saliva. Salivary cortisol is now extensively used for screening and following patients with various conditions where the regulation of hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis is abnormal, for example in major depression where salivary cortisol levels show a disruption or loss of circadian rhythm. Annexin 1 is a glucocorticoid-induced protein, which is responsible for mediating several anti-inflamm...